China Eastern’s Boeing 737 Shatters Upon Impact, Witnesses Report Clothing Debris Hanging in Trees.
The Boeing 737 operated by China Eastern Airlines was carrying 123 passengers and 9 crew members when it crashed into a mountainside in Teng County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, on the afternoon of March 21.
Videos shared on social media show the plane descending vertically. (Video: Weibo).
The news outlet Jimu News reported a local resident stating that the aircraft was “completely shattered”, causing a large fire that burned many trees before rescue teams could control the blaze.
The state news agency China News Service quoted a villager named Liu, who said he rode his motorcycle to the crash site after hearing a loud explosion. He saw numerous debris pieces on the ground, including a section of the plane’s wing, along with various items of clothing caught in trees.
“Everyone rushed to the scene to assist with the rescue efforts”, said Tang Min, the owner of a restaurant located a few kilometers from the crash site.
Aircraft debris found at the crash site – (Photo: CCTV)
Aircraft debris at the accident site. (Photo: Weibo)
It is currently unclear what the casualties are, but assessments from the scene suggest that survival is unlikely.
Flight MU5735 departed from Kunming Changshui International Airport in Kunming, Yunnan Province, at 1:15 PM (12:15 PM Hanoi time) and was scheduled to land in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, at 3:07 PM.
Data from the flight tracking website FlightRadar24 shows that the aircraft suddenly nosedived from an altitude of nearly 9,000 meters at around 2:20 PM, more than an hour after takeoff. Just 2 minutes and 15 seconds later, data indicated it had dropped to an altitude of over 2,700 meters. In the following 20 seconds, the final recorded altitude was nearly 1,000 meters. The plane lost contact with the monitoring system southwest of Wuzhou City at 2:21 PM.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his shock upon learning of the accident and called for all efforts to be focused on rescue operations and determining the cause of the crash as soon as possible.
The aircraft involved in the incident was operated by China Eastern’s subsidiary in Yunnan and had been in service for over 6 years. The plane was delivered in June 2015 and had a total of 162 seats, including 12 business class and 150 economy class seats.
The most recent deadly aviation accident in China occurred in 2010 when a plane crashed in Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, resulting in 42 fatalities.
